


the ghosts that haunt you

by EWBANH



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, Quentin needs therapy but the entity's not that nice, Zarina still refuses to admit she's the mom friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27869402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWBANH/pseuds/EWBANH
Summary: Quentin isn't doing too well. Between not sleeping, trials, and accidentally falling asleep- he inevitably breaks.That's when Zarina comes in.
Relationships: Zarina Kassir & Quentin Smith
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	the ghosts that haunt you

**Author's Note:**

> Zarina has barely any fics so I'm going to fill up this tag just for her. Quentin being a 19 year old baby and Zarina being who she is, they're a cute motherly/son pair. 
> 
> TW: Minor details about Quentin's fears for sleeping and mentions of Freddy. Nothing graphic at all.

Quentin’s stomach twisted and turned, his trembling figure curled up at the base of a tree. His palms were bleeding, from what he wasn’t sure, as he dug his nails into his calves. Tears continued to cascade down his face as he struggled to take in even breaths, his eyes screwing shut. 

_ You stupid, worthless, piece of shit! _

Quentin choked on a sob, his grip tightening. He couldn’t get the ghostly feeling of hands off himself, the burning sensation of metal claws running across his face- 

He had fallen asleep while trying to meditate, a practice learned from Jake, only to awaken in a panic. He didn’t need to have a nightmare to jolt upwards from his nap, his dread setting in almost immediately as memories tore from the floodgate he had shut so long ago. 

Laurie was in a trial, Nancy wasn’t  _ here _ , and Quentin was alone. 

The teen couldn’t really stomach the idea of anyone else seeing him like this. Not with tears streaming down his face, his entire figure convulsing with anxiety, and a rather embarrassing excuse for crying. 

It was better for him to be alone. He was the one that screwed up, after all. 

_ Freddy can’t get you- He can’t-  _

Quentin dared to pull his arm away from himself, lifting his palm to wipe away his face despite the present tears hanging loosely in his eyes. He tried his hardest to blink away his tears, only to find himself crying once more. His arm wrapped back around his legs as he hugged himself once more, this time hiding his face in his knees.

“Oh-Shit-” 

Quentin jolted, spinning his head around with wide eyes. He felt his entire world come to a stop at the sight of none other than Zarina standing there, her hands held up in fear.

_ Fuck. _

“M-M’fine, I’m fine,” Quentin stammered out quickly, using his sleeves to wipe his face, turning to face the other direction. “I-I’m just-just go away-” The teen choked on another cry, his nails digging even deeper into his jeans as he mentally berated himself once more.

_ What a fucking mess- _

“Hey, It’s okay,” Zarina murmured, crouching down beside the boy. 

Quentin flinched, awaiting for the woman to touch him, only to find she didn’t. He dared to look up, deciding she wasn’t leaving anyway. 

“You’re safe, it’s just me,” Zarina whispered, nodding her head slowly. “Can you tell me what color my shirt is?” 

Quentin blinked, furrowing his brows as he sniffled loudly. He blinked down to her black and white striped long sleeve, blinking once more. 

“What-?” Quentin started, only to shake his head, swallowing loudly. “Bl-Black?” 

“Yeah, that’s right,” Zarina assured, her voice soft yet steady. “Can you count to ten, Quentin?” 

The teen blinked as he began to shake his head, only for the woman to repeat the question. He watched as her hands wrapped around one another, her gaze not breaking away from his. 

Quentin had nothing to lose.

Slowly, the teen counted, hiccups and sniffles marring the easy task. He was equal parts confusion and embarrassment as he looked to her for whatever else she might request from him. 

“There you go,” Zarina began, still not touching her younger companion. “Can you try to breathe with me, it’s an easy exercise.” She paused, waiting for the boy to give her an answer, only for him to hiccup. With her mind made up, Zarina continued. 

“You’re going to breathe in through your nose for four seconds, okay?” She instructed, sitting down slowly. “Hold your breath for seven seconds, and then exhale from your mouth for eight seconds. Can you try that?” 

The teen surprised Zarina with a nod, reaching up to wipe his face before holding onto his knees once again. 

It took a moment before the duo began to breathe in unison, Quentin struggling at first before. His body still shook with trembles despite his lack of fresh tears, the boy’s eyes wide as he met Zarina’s gaze.

“You still with me, sleepyhead?” Zarina murmured, her legs not quite touching Quentin as she made herself comfortable against the cold forest ground. 

Quentin nodded, not trusting his voice as he let his legs go, resting them flat onto the surface. He pulled his hands back, cringing at the pained sensation in his palms. His eyes widened at the crescent cuts against the base of his palms, watching slowly as they began to heal.

“You dug your nails into your palms,” Zarina explained, sensing the teen’s confusion. “I’ve done it to myself during my sleep, too.” She paused, looking over the boy for a beat, her heartstrings pulling at his exhausted state. 

“I-I didn’t have a nightmare,” Quentin mumbled, looking down at his legs. There was no point in hiding what she already knew, shame building up in his chest. “I just… slept  _ normally.” _

“You’ve only been gone for twenty minutes,” Zarina stated slowly, treading carefully. “You managed to only get a few minutes sleep before waking up. It was probably the realization that you fell asleep that set you off.” 

Quentin sighed, hiccuping as he nestled deeper into the ground. He pulled the sleeves of his heavy jacket past his hands before raising them to his face, rubbing the obvious redness there. 

“Here,” Zarina spoke, startling him entirely. He looked to the woman, blinking as she held out an old bottle of water. “It’ll help.” 

Quentin took the plastic bottle, nearly attempting to unscrew the cap, only for Zarina to do it for him. He nodded in thanks before beginning to drink, finding himself much thirstier than he expected. Soon enough, the bottle creaked, now empty. 

“Don’t worry about it, we can always get more.” 

Quentin held onto the bottle, squeezing it and twisting it as he stared ahead. He dared to shut his eyes, only to open them back up in fear, the mere thought of falling asleep nearly sending him spiraling. His other hand reached up for the necklace against his chest, the cool metal a reminder as he forced himself to breathe. 

_ He can’t get you here. _

“I-I don’t like falling asleep,” Quentin stammered, blinking rapidly. “Even- Even if he can’t get me here. It’s… It’s hard-d.” He clamped his mouth shut before shaking his head quickly, his curls bouncing. 

“I know,” Zarina replied almost immediately, looking over the boy. “I would be scared too.” She paused, her gaze flickering behind her before focusing back on him. “Do you think going back to the campfire would help?” 

Quentin quickly shook his head once more, dreading the mere thought as he sniffled. 

“Okay, that’s alright, we can stay here,” Zarina murmured, nodding slowly. She watched as the teen continued to play with the water bottle in his hand, his other palm still wrapped around his necklace. Her gaze flickered around the wilderness, ensuring no one else had appeared before speaking. 

“Whenever you want to sleep again, and Laurie isn’t here, I can help you,” Zarina whispered, aching to physically comfort the boy. “I don’t mind helping you, Quentin.” 

The teen was quiet for a beat, not looking over. 

“H-How did you know wh-what to do?” He whispered, swallowing loudly. “D-Did Laurie teach you?” 

Zarina chuckled softly, shaking her head with a half-smile as she looked out into the woods. “Nah, although it would be smart to learn from her too,” She answered, going quiet for a beat before speaking again. “I had a little cousin, back home, who went through some rough times. She got scared of loud noises really easily.” 

“Oh,” Quentin breathed out, looking over to the woman. 

“She was a little bit younger than you are,” Zarina continued, still smiling. “A sweetheart too. Had this obsession with postcards. Everywhere I went I made sure to grab her one so she could hang them up on her walls back home and add them to her collection.” 

“That’s really c-cool,” Quentin whispered, finally letting go of his necklace.

“Mhmm,” Zarina hummed out, her smile widening as a small laugh broke past her lips. “I went to Texas for this big story a few years back,” She began, looking down at the straps of her pink bag. “Found a postcard that had a bunch of cows on it, all holding shotguns in a traditional cowboy standoff type of thing. You know what it said?” 

Quentin shook his head, his eyes wide in anticipation. 

“Remember the Ala _ moo.” _

Quentin’s shoulders shook as he snorted, his face splitting into a grin as he shook his head. “No way.”

“I swear to you,” Zarina replied immediately, laughing a bit. “That was her favorite one, for good reason of course.” 

Quentin’s smile softened, looking over his friend. He took in a shaky deep breath before looking out to the forest, his smile slowly fading. 

“Thank you,” He murmured, after a beat. 

Zarina kept the same soft smile on her lips, shaking her head. “Don’t thank me for telling some stories, I have a million and one of those.” 

“You know what I mean,” Quentin replied with a roll of his eyes, hitting his shoulder against hers. He looked down to his palms, finding his cuts already healing. His chest ached as exhaustion finally set in, his breakdown just as exhausting as he expected.

“Do you want to lie down and I could tell you a few more stories I have?” Zarina asked, her voice even. “It’s alright if you’d rather not.” 

Quentin thought for a beat, swallowing down the lump in his throat. Zarina had, admittedly, already seen him at his worst. There was very little shame left in him to deny himself comfort from the woman, saving his embarrassment for when Laurie inevitably found them. 

The teen nodded.

Zarina scooted back, her spine against the tree before patting her lap gingerly. Quentin stared for a beat, watching her before nodding his head slowly. He lowered himself to the ground, placing his head just above the woman’s knees. It took a long few seconds before he relaxed, the woman’s thin hands setting in his hair. The teen instinctively flinched before taking in a deep breath, relaxing. 

Quentin didn’t want to admit just how comfortable he felt. 

“My father used to tell me childhood stories like this,” Zarina murmured, her voice just barely above a whisper. “We didn’t get to visit back home very often, but when we did it was just like I imagined.” 

Zarina sighed, shaking her head before looking down to the boy, a soft smile on her lips. 

“Did I ever tell you the story about how I nearly got arrested for breaking and entering in Arkansas?”

The teen laughed out a  _ ‘no’ _ , making himself comfortable against the cold ground. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a kudos/comment if you enjoyed and make sure to follow my tumblr @ ewbie.tumblr.com


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